Template:Position Limits Regulation intro

Position limits are intended to protect futures markets from excessive speculation that could cause unreasonable or unwarranted price fluctuations and are sometimes referred to as "speculative position limits", or "speculative limits". The Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) authorized the CFTC to impose limits on the size of speculative positions in futures markets.

The CFTC issued its final rules on position limits in October 2011. Compliance for spot month positions was to become effective on October 12, 2012, but in September 2012, a U.S. District Court vacated the rule and remanded it back to the CFTC. Though the commission initially filed an appeal of the ruling, it opted instead to withdraw the appeal and redraft a proposed rule, which was approved on November 5, 2013. The proposal entered the Federal Register on December 12, 2013, but the comment period has been reopened three times in 2014.